The patient had received bad news. I don't know whether he asked for a chaplain or a nurse had offered to call one. It didn't matter much how I got here, what mattered was that I was there.
I have sat with people, more than one person, who has been informed that they will need to make major changes in their lives. One has been told that he has a heart condition, and he need to remove certain stressors from his life. Another finds out that she has diabetes and will need to learn how to eat a more balanced diet and learn to count carbs.
And still another finds out a cancer has been found and life will now be determined by the number of journeys to receive treatment and care. For some it's a conversation when the abstract meets reality and the "I've got a few years left," becomes "There's nothing more we can do." I have written about change and some of the benefits of adjusting to change in the past, but what about those times when we don't want the change that has been forced upon us? The times when we want to dig in our heels and just scream, "Stop! I want everything to stay just like it like it was.
" "I can't move forward I want to stop time." We want to be stuck, not moving forward. Being stuck is not an option, or at least a healthy option in our lives.
Feeling stuck is often a powerful sign and invitation to live differently. It's a journey into the unknown that feels uncomfortable because we don't have it all figured out. And, when we're being honest, we don't like the unknown or discomfort.
The truth is that God does not want us to live being stuck. He calls us to move forward. There are times in each of our lives when we look back and feel desperate to make time stand still, particularly when change happens.
When Jesus invites us to follow Him, we don't know everywhere we're going, how long it will take, or what we will encounter along the way — but what we do know is that He will never leave us. To go where He is leading, we can't spend all our time looking back to where we once were, much as we might want to, while simultaneously trying to look forward to where He is taking us. I understand that life is full of unexpected detours, slowdowns and surprising stops that divert our focus.
If we've not prepared ourselves to move through those times, that's when we can get stuck. And we can get stuck in places we never intended to find ourselves — spiritually, emotionally, mentally, relationally, financially or physically. To be honest, we can get stuck just about anywhere in life, can't we? When .
.. We like where we are.
We're scared about the future. We may not want to let go of what we love. We're disappointed.
We're numb from the trauma we've endured. We're betrayed. Over-whelmed.
Distracted. Wounded. Hopeless.
Sometimes, when we stop and think about what we have experienced, how can we not get stuck in disappointment, unforgiveness, bitterness, offense, fear, guilt, anxiety, insecurity, indifference, apathy, comfort or complacency? And yet, to move forward, we have to find a way to move through these exact places and more. I imagine we all find it easier to stay stuck than to risk moving forward and what might come with it, like stepping out and feeling even more uncomfortable. The good news is that God does not get stuck.
He may lead us to a rocky steam bed, and we discover that every single rock is different. Or into the forest to realize every tree is distinctive. When the snow falls, we find the beauty of each new unique snowflake.
When we feel stuck, God reminds us that the final chapter of our story has not yet unfolded. In the beauty of His creation, we are reminded that the diversity which He created, calls us to give Him the glory for the amazing journey He has given each of us. We are reminded that our paths unfold differently for each of us.
God has already determined the path we will walk, and how that path will result in His glory and our good. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. — Proverbs 3:5-6 CSV Brenda lee, B.
A., M.Div.
, B.C.C.
, is senior staff chaplain and director of pastoral services at great Plains health in North Platte. Editor's note: area ministers who would like to be part of this feature can contact editor Joan von Kampen at 308-5354707 or joan.vonkampen@nptelegraph.
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